Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Get Rid of HSA's!

I have took this test in my senior year of high school. Luckily, while I did not need to pass it to graduate, I passed them. But special-ed students, people with limited English proficiency, and disabled students will not be lucky, even if the Maryland High School Assessments turns into a graduation requirement in 2009.

Some opponents of the test say that as many as 25,000 students are at risk of failing at least one of the exams, but state officials say programs to improve performance and generally improve scores on tests mean only a handful of students will fail.

Many students having the most difficulty with the tests are in the groups affected by the delay. According to a state education Web site, there are more than 31,000 special-ed students in high schools; almost 6,500 with limited English proficiency; and nearly 5,000 who fall under Code 504, which includes many students with disabilities. However, not all of these students are in the Classes of 2009 and 2010, the groups affected by the change.


I smell a No (Rich) Child Left Behind connection...

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